Hudson Confidential: Walmart protest on Black Friday

Monday

Nov 26, 2012 at 2:00 AM

It was interesting to watch the interaction, or in some cases, lack thereof, between several dozen protesters in front of the Walmart in the Town of Ulster and the steady stream of Black Friday shoppers who were coming and going.

It was interesting to watch the interaction, or in some cases, lack thereof, between several dozen protesters in front of the Walmart in the Town of Ulster and the steady stream of Black Friday shoppers who were coming and going.

The protesters, including representatives of several unions, at least one local Occupy group and some individuals just representing themselves, were part of a national protest urging better wages and benefits for Walmart employees.

Most shoppers entering and exiting the store ignored the protesters. Some stopped and spoke to one of the picketers, or accepted the literature being handed out to those who would take it.

"These people are just ridiculous," said one young man as he approached the entrance, but he did stop long enough to listen to a woman on the picket line. One man who had planned to go in changed his mind after seeing the picket line.

But one gray-haired gentleman, obviously unaware that no one on the picket line was a Walmart employee (or if they were, they weren't admitting it to the media), lit into the protesters: "If you don't like the wages, why do you work here? Go get a job somewhere else!"

It's not that easy to find another job, someone on the line replied.

Michael Randall

Want a fast answer on your college application? Mount Saint Mary College will give you one on Saturday.

The Mount is holding the latest of its periodic instant decision events from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day in the admissions office in the Villa, following a 10 a.m. check-in at the Kaplan Family Math, Science and Technology Center.

The essays, letters of recommendation and admissions application fee normally required are waived for this event.

Prospective students must, however, bring an official copy of their transcript and their SAT or ACT scores to get an instant admissions evaluation and decision.

There will be a light brunch served, and a tour where you can learn about academics, financial aid and campus life.

And before you leave, you'll have your admissions decision.

Michael Randall

Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh has been emailing news releases for weeks now, plugging Saturday's opening of a new display, "Unpacked and Rediscovered: Selections From Washington's Headquarters Collection."

It's scheduled to take place in the site's recently renovated museum from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and they say it will include rare, curious and important collections not seen by the public for many years.

Among the items that have been teased in these weekly bulletins are the Army officer epaulets worn by Capt. Augustus van Horne Ellis of New Windsor in the Civil War; a powder canister from the U.S.S. Maine; and a bust of Washington by Jean-Antoine Houdon, who in 1783 was commissioned by the Virginia State Legislature to do a full-size statue in honor of the general.

We're not quite sure what, if any, connection it has to Washington, but there's also an armadillo-shell basket — something that became a fad when Charles Apelt of Texas introduced them at the World's Fair in 1902.